Thrombolytic Effect of a Proteolytic Enzyme from Aspergillus Ochraceus, Awegillase^(R)

The mould Aspergillus ochraceus produces and liberates into the culture medium a proteolytic enzyme. It was highly purified and obtained in crystalline form by ethanol-calcium precipitation. The enzyme (molecular weight approximately 20,000) hydrolyses typical trypsin and chymotrypsin substrates as well as proteins, such as casein, haemoglobin and fibrin. It is inhibited by blood plasma antiproteinases. In animal experiments, the enzyme shows relatively low toxicity as well as antithrombotic and thrombolytic effects, even at doses lower than the plasma antiproteinase level. Experimentally produced clotting and deposition thrombi in peripheral veins and arteries as well as in coronary arteries are removed by proteolytic degradation. Based on first clinical studies, the enzyme, Awegillase(R), is considered a suitable tool for both local and systemic thrombolytic therapy.